


^116 






u^m -^^nmrn 




(pn^er/htion 

V..^' _ THROUGH 

Lducation 






^^ 



To the Reader- 

If this little booklet will but inspire 
one citizen of our State to use his or 
her efforts toward promoting the con- 
servation of our wild life its purpose will 
be accomplished. 

California Fish and 
Game Commission 



D. of D. 
FEB 3 1916 






Lest We Forget 

That fifty years ago there were hundreds of thous- 
ands of Bison roaming our hills and plains, while today 
there are less than 500 in the entire country. 




Not many years ago the market hunters of the 
Middle States killed millions of these beautiful birds 
each year. 

Today one may travel from the Gulf to the Great 
Lakes without so much as seeing one. 

The last known Passenger Pigeon died in the Cin- 
cinnati Zoo on January twenty-first, Nineteen hundred 
and fifteen. 



SHALL OUR UPLAND BIRDS AND WATER- 
FOWL SUFFER THE SAME 
UNTIMELY FATE? 







Could there be a more pitiful sight than this helpless 
little fawn which has been robbed of its only pro- 
tection through the thoughtlessness or greed of some 
hunter ? 

Let us take only what the law allows, that the next 
generation may enjoy the same pleasures that the 
fields Euid streams of our glorious State now afford us. 



Why Save the Fish 
and Game? 



The courts have held that wild game is the property 
of the p)eople, and can be hunted, killed, possessed and 
disfxjsed of only as the people direct. It is believed 
that this State has some of the most effective and most 
just laws for the purpose of protecting wild game ever 
enacted by a commonwealth. These laws seem to 
insure the perpetuation of the supply. But these 
laws would not serve their full purpxDse if they did not 
guarantee our people and posterity the opportunity of 
recreation, hunting and fishing. 

The Fish and Game Commission and the Legislature 
of the State, ever mindful of the fact that the boy and 
the young man are full of the instinct for sport, have 
wisely freuned the laws in such manner as to save to 
the people their inherent right to hunting. The boy 
that lives a natural, outdoor life, hunting, fishing and 
playing strenuous games is not the chap who loafs 
around corners shooting craps and smoking cigarettes. 
Furthermore, the boy who leairns how to care for him- 
self in the woods and to shoot straight makes the finest 
soldier in the world in the time of nationzil p>eril. 

Is it not better to train our soldiers this way, than to 
destroy the game and the incentive to hunting — and 
then raise an army by conscription — and at that an 
army that cannot shoot straight ! 

Game conservation is more than a masculine pro- 
blem; it is a national question, in which every girl and 
every woman is vitally concerned. 




BIRDSEYE VIEW OF 



ONE SECTION OF HATCHERY / 
FINEST IN THE WORUD. 




'NOS AT SiLoN. CAL: ONE oF^hT- 
HASTA IN BACKGROUND. 



-ARGEST AND 







••c .2. 



I ^ 

.2 c 






(0 CiO 






O CO 
& "5 



^^ « 

> o V, 

4^ -. 1^ 

3 



i 



(0 -s 
o -S 

> 




s 

-o 

c 

(0 

a to 



i^ Q 



i 



5 2 



28 

« < 

g O 

i < 
J X 

UJ 

>. 5 

-5 a5 



C i! 



Ul (L) 




c 

no 3 



ii 



5 I o 

en j_ 

*j w * 

-£ S 2 

" « 5 

-2 .2 



CO g 

O (0 

1 

C 
3 



Fish Facts. 

• Do you know that California is one of the greatest 
fishing regions of the world ? 

When white men first came here they found fish only 
in the oceans, bays and in streams up to the first water- 
falls and of comparatively few species. Since then the 
Federal and State authorities have introduced many 
valuable and interesting varieties, have artificially proF>- 
agated hundreds of millions at the hatcheries and have 
"planted" and "transplanted" almost every species, so 
that today fishing is enjoyed in practically every bit of 
living water in the State. 

In 1914 the State Fish and Game Commission prop- 
agated at its seven hatcheries and distributed in public 
waters 30,000,000 salmon and 18,000,000 trout. These 
fish if placed end to end would reach from San Fran- 
cisco to a point 1 50 miles east of Denver. They would 
fill four standard freight trains of 43 cars each, weighing 
over 4000 tons. The total would provide each man, 
woman and child in the State with 16 fish. 

There is no locality in the civilized world that offers 
a greater variety of sport than the mountains, valleys 
and waters of the State of California. 

For instance, the business man of centrally located San 
Francisco can- board eui evening train euid at dawn of 
the following morning cast his fly upon the snow-fed 
waters of a Sierra stream, returning in the evening with 
a limit basket. 

Intense propagation and conscientious protection is 
the one thing that make such ideal conditions possible. 

The entire cost of rearing, distributing and protecting 
fish in this State is borne by the market and pleasure 
fishermen. Not one cent is contributed by the tax- 
payer through legislative appropriation. 

Four thousand people are engaged in catching fish 
for the market. Their "catch" sells to the consumer 
for around $10,000,000 each year. 



Just A Few Facts and 
Figures. 

The "Closed Season" laws are the most important of 
all. They protedt birds, animals and fishes during and 
after the breeding periods. The killing of the iemale 
during such times means the loss of an entire family. 
Besides, all breeding animals and certainly their young 
are pracftically defenseless and need all the protection 
man can give them. 

The " Limit Laws" curb the thoughtless and selfish 
and guarantee the decent hunter and fisherman his 
share in the sport and its product. Certainly such- laws 
are most American in spirit. 

America is one of the few populous countries in 
which the "common people" enjoy the hunting privilege. 
Furthermore this country he^s few big preserves and 
consequently little game is raised by wealthy people for 
their own enjoyment. Here everyone hunts and fishes, 
with few exceptions on an equal basis and a great deal 
of fish and game is killed. The private preserve system 
would give us more game, but the wealthy classes 
would get all the benefits. 

Probably 20,000 deer are killed in this state each yeeu-. 

The annual kill of wild ducks is around 1 ,000,000 
and of wild geese about 200,000. The stock need not 
be exterminated however as the wild-fowl that winter 
here have most of the northern regions for their nesting 
grounds. 

The California valley quail is said to be the finest 
"upland" game bird in the world. This bird is found 
everywhere in the state but has been over-hunted 
badly. Unless the killing is greatly reduced this bird 
will disapp>ear. 

The only game bird ever successfully reared extens- 
ively in captivity is the English, known also as the 
Chinese and ring-necked pheasant. Thousands of these 
birds have been raised at the State Game Farm and 
liberated in the moist coast region. 



The State Fish and Game Commis- 
sion is entirely self-supporting, receiving 
its annual revenue of about $300,000 
from the sale of hunting and fishing 
licenses and from fines collected from 
violators of the laws. The Commission 
has four business offices and about 1 20 
employees. Reali2dng the necessity of 
giving important duties into the ceire of 
competent assistants, the Commission 
employs only highly trained, energetic 
and conscientious wardens. Every de- 
partment of the Commission is under the 
stricter of civil service control. 

For further information relative to fish 
and game in California or to the work 
of the Fish and Game Commission in- 
quire of any of its officers or at the offices 
at San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacra- 
mento or Fresno. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




001 885 281 




THIS BOOKLET IS ISSUED BY 
THE 

FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 

OF THE 
STATE OF CALIFORNIA 

COMMISSIONKRS 

F. M. NEWBERT, PRESIDENT 

M. J. CONNELL 

CARL WESTERFELD 

ERNEST SCHAEFFLE 
EXECUTIVE OFFICER 



KXKCUTIVK OFFICES 

MILLS BUILDING, SAN FRANCISCO 






□ 
□ 

Ln 
nj 

a 






i 



